Blood Red Eyes
by CaptainNerd
Summary: When Maka's father is in trouble, he must be saved. Will this bring Kid together with the person he cares most about or push him away? KidxSoul SteinxSpirit
1. Chapter 1 - Self Defense

**Rated T for language, minor violence, and "adult themes".**

**KidxSoul and SteinxSpirit. No recurring OC's. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or any of the characters.**

**This first chapter is just setting up the story, there will be much more romance, trust me. **

**Third person POV, but changes main characters. Enjoy. **

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**Chapter 1 - Self-Defense**

~Kid~

Kid perused the wall covered in missions. He had completed several that were up and smiled inwardly. He was getting closer each day to collecting 198 kishin souls. The witches' souls would be far harder to win, but he knew that eventually Patti and Liz would become his own "death weapons".

His thoughts were interrupted by a hand on his back though. He turned around to find Maka and Soul. Maka was smiling with that ever present look of joy she had and Soul looked the same as always - bored.

"Hi, Kid," Maka greeted him. Soul nodded to him in greeting.

"Hello, Maka, Soul," he said coolly, "what's up?"

"It's Lord Death," Soul explained gruffly, "he requested to see us, and Black Star with Tsubaki. Says it's important."

"Those two are already headed over there though. We just came to get you," Maka said.

Kid wondered what kind of mission his father could want them to go on that he would require all three teams. He had handled three star meister missions all on his own. Apparently, Patti and Liz were not required to come. Patti was, how to put it nicely, incompetent at times and Liz could be slightly overbearing. They were back home, cooking or watching a movie since classes had ended for the day.

He settled walking next to Soul, who trundled along slowly behind Maka. She pestered him to speed up, but he told her that running around on another guy's orders "is not cool". She eventually sighed and moved to walk next to Soul.

Soul and Maka started arguing about who was cooking tonight, before Maka interrupted to ask Kid a quesiton. "Hey, do you think after this we could all have lunch at our place?"

"That sounds great, Maka. I'll make sure to get Patti and Liz," he was, in all honesty, quite enthused. The three teams would sometimes all have lunch together like this. He enjoyed their company more than he let on. Maka was the sort of person anybody could get along with. Although she could be high-strung at times, she was very kind and she cared deeply about her friends. Soul was Soul. He was unique. He had a very passive attitude and acted like everything was boring, but when it came down to it, Soul knew how to have a good time.

They chatted for a while about meal plans, as they walked. Kid was occupied wondering what his father could have planned for them. Why had he called all of them like this? Was it an emergency? Did this have to do with Asura? He was so preoccupied he didn't notice that he had accidentally inched further and further away from the archways, which somewhat represented weapons. He felt something brush up against his hand and he looked down, seeing that he had accidentally touched his hand against Soul's pale one. Kid drew his hand away quickly and moved as far away from Soul as he could without looking uncomfortable. "Sorry," he muttered, taking care that he did not touch Soul again.

"Stop trying to hold my hand," Soul said. Kid blushed furiously and watched the floor instead, averting his gaze. "Hey," Soul said, playfully punching Kid's upper arm, "I'm just kidding, you queer."

Kid laughed, although it was forced. He smiled at Soul to show him that he knew he was joking, particularly with the "queer" comment. He shouldn't have been so embarrassed; it's not like it mattered to either one of them.

"Soul!" Maka protested, "That's so rude," she looked as though she were about to do her infamous Maka Chop, but Kid stopped her.

"We're just joking, Maka," He smiled at her gently.

Although the walk after that seemed to last centuries, Maka and Soul continued their conversation. Kid wasn't really paying attention though, still feeling a bit bashful. It had been moronic of him to overreact. Guys touched each other all the time, and it didn't mean anything. Why should an accidental hand touch matter? 'Baka!' he scolded himself silently. Finally, they reached Death's room.

Kid's father stood in front of his mirror as always. He waved zealously at the three entering the room. Black Star and Tsubaki were already there whispering animatedly about something.

Once everyone had entered, they lined up in front of Lord Death, "Welcome!" said the Shinigami enthusiastically, waving his oversized hand. His voice was cheerful, as though he hadn't had a bad day in his life.

The five exchanged looks, hoping that he was going to say something more important than a hello, "Father, what is this all about?" Kid demanded. He was the only one there who felt had the right to talk to Lord Death like this.

Death softened and seemed to be frowning, "Well, it's like this..." he trailed off for a minute, contemplating how to be tactful about what he had to say, "Spirit has gone missing."

"What!?" Maka shouted. Kid nearly face-palmed. No tact at all, he sighed.

Although Maka acted as though she couldn't stand the sight of her father, and perhaps she couldn't most of the time, he was still her father, and she still loved him. This was awful news.

"Please, Maka. This could just be one of his escapades. It's just odd," He said slowly.

"Odd that he would leave his position. He may be promiscuous, but if there is one thing he is dedicated to, it's his job as a death scythe. Would he really just drop everything and leave without the slightest indication of where he was going?" Kid finished for his father, who studied him for a second. One day, Kid would be the perfect replacement for the Shinigami.

Maka was looking at the ground furtively. Soul appeared concerned, and was about to rest a hand on her shoulder, but her head snapped up, "Yes, he would," she said furiously, "he did it to mom. He doesn't take anyone into consideration. Besides, what was the point of bringing us all here if we have no idea where he went? We should at least wait for an indication before jumping up to 'save' him."

Sometimes, Maka could really scare the shit out of Kid. But, he supposed, she deserved to be angry with her father. What made this any different from all the times he cheated on her mother? Nothing really.

Lord Death was silent for a moment before nodding, "I see. Well, I have told the other professors and we are waiting for any clues before we go out searching blindly, as you mentioned, Maka. Thank you for coming here. When the time arises, be prepared to go on this mission though. It is important," the childish edge to his voice had been lost. He was serious about this. The five bowed their heads before turning around and walking through the doors.

There was a minute of silence before Soul dared console Maka, "Hey," he frowned, "are you alright?"

She turned to him and smiled brightly, "I'm fine, Soul. Don't worry. Dad's probably just gone off with some woman to a nice city. You know how it is," the four didn't completely buy it, but before Kid had the opportunity to comfort her, or support her, she changed the subject, "So, who's hungry?"

The five chatted contentedly and reached the school hallways. Kid was saying something about their assignment that was due tomorrow, when he was pushed backwards suddenly. He flinched, and when he opened his eyes, he was being attacked in a hug from Patti.

"Hi, Kid! Liz and I were getting worried so we came all the way here," she told him happily. He saw Liz standing behind her, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Hi, Patti. Hi, Liz," said Maka. The two waved at the rest of the group.

Kid pushed Patti off of him, "Shove off, Patti," she did so with the same glee she always possessed, about to respond, but a cold voice interrupted her.

"What a fag," they all heard it. There was a distinct silence. Slowly, their heads all turned to the right side of the hallway. A boy was standing there, leaning against the wall. He had thick brown hair that fell partly in front of his eyes, and looked slightly annoyed. He wore a black jacket over his ugly sea green shirt and had amber eyes.

"What did you say?" Kid asked through his teeth. There was a frightening edge to his voice and he his yellow eyes glowed menacingly. He stepped towards the boy, staring at him head-on. The boy did not flinch, and looked straight back into his black pupils without any fear whatsoever.

"Are you deaf? I called you a fag," he repeated nonchalantly. Kid looked as though he were about to retort, but was stopped.

"You don't say shit like that unless you want to get beat up," it was Soul. His red eyes bore into the boy.

"Sure, get one of your friends to fight me, queer," he provoked.

"I'm not gay," Kid replied evenly. In truth, he was not as calm as he appeared, if you could describe him as calm. Honestly, he was scared. He was furious that someone had the audacity to call him that after everything he had gone through at this school. He thought he might have earned some respect. Then, he was hurt at the idea that people though he was gay. There wasn't anything wrong with it, but he wasn't. He was sick of being called it, though. Lastly, he was sad. He didn't know exactly why, but he could feel it inside him.

"Hm," said the boy, not giving him a good answer, "You walk around school dressed like a girl. You have two hot chicks wrapped around your pinkies, but you never show a damn interest. Then, you have never even looked at a girl; you're always checking out some guy."

Kid didn't know why this boy knew so much about him, or why he had drawn his sexuality into question. He may have called him a slur, but then he was actually giving evidence to back it up. Who was this guy? There was only one thing to do.

"Liz, Patti," Kid ordered.

"Right," Patti and Liz said on cue. They transformed and dropped perfectly symmetrically in his hands.

The boy, without losing his cool, pulled out a sword from its sheath that none of them had noticed. He pulled the sword apart, revealing that it was not only one, but two blades - a dual sword.

"Kid, we need a teacher prese-" Maka shouted.

"I don't _care!" _Kid yelled back. Soul had never seen him this angry before. Kid crossed his arms, one over the other, pointing his pistols at the boy. He took the first shot.

The boy deflected it with the flat side of his blade. They repeated this, as the amber-eyed boy moved in quickly, getting close. He couldn't attack from afar, Kid noted. No matter how angry he was, he managed to keep his head even in battle.

But he realized that his four friends were right on the path of danger, not to mention that some classes were still in session, and the bullets might pierce the wall. He took off, down the corridor, out of the front of the castle-like school.

"Running away already?" He heard the boy shout from behind. He reached the cobbled courtyard and stood to one end. The boy moved quickly and was upon him as soon as he had reached his destination. Kid shot at him, but he jumped up and moved around, quite agile. The boy needed to be in close distance, so Kid knew exactly what to do. Kid shot and waited as his opponent backed off to get out of range, before shouting, "Let's go, Soul Resonance!" an impressive blue bubble formed around Kid, that only Maka could see. The boy was still recovering from Kid's last attacks, not able to charge in yet. His ankle had been hurt while avoiding the bullets.

Two metal canons formed around Kid's arms, growing several times the size the guns had been. Spikes grew up from Kid's 'girlish' clothes, "Execution Mode ready," said Kid calmly. He was most at ease when he fought, it made sense to him.

"Resonance stable. Noise at 0.4 percent," Liz answered, "preparing to fire. Feedback in

four seconds. Three."

"Two," Patti continued.

"One."

"Firing now!" Patti shouted.

Death the Kid held out his cannons and the boy jumped forward, not realizing exactly what was happening. His skills were nothing compared to this grim reaper's. As he moved in for the close up attack, swinging a sword at Kid's temple, the cannon fired directly into his torso. The explosion was magnificent, the compressed wavelength of Kid's soul firing out at him.

The boy was shot backwards, in a cloud of smoke and both the defeat and the winner was obvious. Kid stood slowly, Patti and Liz transforming back into pistols. In the haze, he walked away from the school, down the steps, and back to his mansion.

As he swung open the doors to his room, Liz and Patti transformed back into human forms, "Kid," Liz said. He knew that she would want to talk about it, would want to comfort him, or maybe she didn't know how much it had gotten to him.

"It's fine, Liz. I'll be out later," he shut the door quickly and flopped down on his bed, not even checking for symmetry.

'Shit,' he thought. It wasn't the first time his sexuality had been brought into question, which was frustrating. Why did people think he was gay? He frowned for a second, wondering... What if he _was gay? _No, that wasn't right. Of course he wasn't. It's not like he thought of any guys like that. Or girls.

Then he remembered how he had brushed his hand against Soul's in the hall. 'Don't be stupid,' he told himself. It had meant nothing. He blushed for a second, then forgot about it once again.

He fell asleep for what felt like a few hours, and was awoken by a knock on the door, "Kid, wake up. Soul's here to see you!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Shattered Glass

**Chapter 2 - Shattered Glass**

~Soul~

Soul was waiting in the dining area for Kid to come out. Maka had wanted to come too, but he told her it was a better idea not to. She hadn't been in the best state when he had left the house anyway. She acted like the news about her father hadn't fazed her in the slightest, but they both knew that she did care. She would be waiting for the slightest indication of where he had disappeared to.

And then there was Kid. Being assaulted on his way through his father's school was probably not the best thing for him mentally. He had been so upset; Soul had never seen him like that. His ringed yellow eyes had been filled with fury.

Soul sighed and kicked his feet up on the table. There wasn't much he could do for Kid, and coming over here, he had really had no idea what he was going to say, but he did know that Kid was his friend and he deserved to have someone to talk to, even if he didn't need it. He wondered what had pissed off Kid so much. Was it simply the gay comment? It's not as if people, including Soul, hadn't wondered... But nobody would say something like that to his face. Kid was the best meister at the DWMA after all.

A creak interrupted his thoughts. Kid entered through the double black doors.

"Would you mind taking your filthy shoes off of my table?" Kid requested, sounding slightly annoyed. Soul stood up and laughed. So it looks like he's back to his old self, he thought contentedly. Well, this was Lord Death's only son.

"You really kicked that guy's ass, you know. Probably sent him to the hospital wing for three weeks," Kid frowned distinctly, "What?" asked Soul.

"Poor Crona will have to deal with that ass-wipe then," he mused. Oh crap, Soul realized that they had completely forgotten about Crona. Well, maybe it was just him; Maka would never forget about Crona. They were too close of friends for that.

"So," Soul put his hand behind his head awkwardly, "you wanna go grab some sushi since the meal's off? I told Maka I'd pick something up for her on the way back anyways."

Dammit, did that sound like a date? Getting food together? That's definitely not how he had meant it. What if Kid said yes- or no. Would he think that he was asking him out? No. Soul stopped himself, Kid said he wasn't gay. Just because some loser in the academy thought Kid was gay, didn't make him gay. This was just two bros hanging out. Nothing uncool about that.

"Fine, but I am deciding where we're going. There's no telling what sick raw fish we could come across with your less-than-adequate taste buds," Kid was obviously back to his normal self.

Soul found himself down one of Death City's busiest streets. He really didn't want to go through it; there were so many people bustling around, bumping into each other. It was a sea of bodies, and he didn't know how they would fit through. Kid smiled mischievously. Suddenly, Kid grabbed onto Sou's wrist and tugged him through the crowd. He moved quickly, jumping into open, narrow spaces, and finally making it to a small shop. They ducked inside, seeing that it was just another occupied restaurant.

Kid walked up to the counter, not realizing that he was still holding Soul by the wrist, and said something to the man quietly. He bowed to Kid and waved for him to follow. He dragged Soul through the sushi bar to a back room. There were a few tables around and some people were sitting at them, talking quietly. Kid seemed to realize that he had been holding Soul's wrist the entire time and quickly let go.

"So I put in an order. We'll just wait here and then take it back to your place, if that's.. cool," Kid said 'cool' rather uncomfortably, like he was trying to fit in with Soul. That made him smile; Kid was trying to act more... straight?

"Yeah, man, that's cool," Soul said, leaning back into one of the chairs, then he stopped. This might be the only time he could talk to Kid about what happened without everyone else around. It would be hard to have this serious conversation, but it was worth a shot.

"Kid.. about what happened earlier," Soul began.

Kid stiffened, "Forget it, Soul. I won, that's all that matter," Nope, this wasn't going to be a fun conversation.

"It's just, you seemed really upset, dude. Not about the fight," silence hung in the air.

Finally, Kid sat down in the chair directly across from Soul, relaxing, "It's just- just that, it's not the first time someone's called me that. I don't see why everyone thinks..." he trailed off, like he wasn't able to say the word - gay.

"Why does everyone think I'm gay? I'm not!" Kid shouted, gaining the attention of the other occupants, then throwing his head down on the table and letting his arms rest around it.

Soul gently touched one of his hands in a sign of comfort. It was then that he noticed a blush appear on Kid's face. It was light, and hardly visible in the dim lighting and with his head turned to the side like that, but it was definitely there.

"Kid, nobody thinks that, okay? Just some douche bag we don't even know."

"But he did know me," Kid whispered so quietly it was barely audible. He hadn't wanted Soul to hear, that much was obvious. Soul felt a bit nervous. What did he mean by that? Kid was a really kind, sweet, cute person. Cute? No- wait, what?

~Kid~

After their little exchange in the restaurant, they hurried back to their apartment. Kid had tried insisting that he return to Gallows Mansion, but Soul told him that Maka would want to see him. But truthfully, Kid really didn't want to go back with him. Or did he? He felt sick and confused. He had blushed madly when Soul had touched his hand again. He wished that he'd stop doing that, but at the same time, he wanted him to.

They sat around a coffee table and ate together. Maka and Soul kept up a conversation and Kid didn't really jump in. He just wasn't feeling up to it. Something was really nagging at him ever since that boy in the hallway.

When Kid came to his senses, he realized that Maka was frowning directly at him, "Kid, do you want a soda? I'll go get you something to cheer you up."

He honestly hoped that she'd slip something in it to 'cheer him up', but he knew Maka better than that. She would never let him take a sip of alcohol, "Thanks, Maka. I'm just feeling a bit under the weather."

Maka walked off to the kitchen. Soul tossed up his plate into the air playfully, catching it with one hand. Kid rolled his eyes; there was no way that could turn out well. He did it again, catching it one-handed. He did it once more, flinging into the air, and he looked down for a second. The plate was going to come down and break on his head. Kid shoved himself off the couch and jumped up, running, and deflecting the plate from breaking on Soul's head.

He caught it easily between his thumb and forefinger, but didn't realize until it was too late that he had landed directly on top of Soul, his chest on Soul's chest, his eyes staring into Soul's.

Soul's light breath tickled his lips. Kid could feel his heart beating faster than ever. He had never been this close to Soul before, he wanted to kiss Soul, it would be so easy. Their eyes locked and they both still had that look of surprise, or curiosity. His heart was beating quickly, he could feel it pounding in his chest. Soul had the most interesting eyes, they were a deep, bloody red color, that contrasted his pure white hair so perfectly. He was... gorgeous. Soul licked his lips, and Kid felt like he couldn't stop himself from leaning forward and kissing him.

There was a crashing, and a gasp. They both turned their heads and saw Maka standing in the entranceway, looking shocked. The dropped soda can was the source of the crash. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open in surprise.

Kid had never moved so fast in his life. He removed himself from Soul and thanked Maka for the sushi, blushing like crazy, before running out the door, and back to his house. His feet pounded against the cobbled street and he streaked through the nearly empty streets. His face felt like it was burning. He was furious with himself for getting that close to Soul.

Before he could reach the mansion, he pulled into a side alley way and sat on his haunches, burying his face in his knees. What had he been thinking? He was an idiot. He had wanted to kiss Soul so bad right then. So terribly. Did Soul want to also? He hadn't pushed away from him. So that was it then? Does this... make me _gay?_ he wondered. Did he really want Soul like that? I guess he had. There was no way getting around it. But Soul was the most heterosexual person Kid knew. He was always getting a nose bleed whenever stupid Blair walked around in her skimpy outfits. Come to think of it, Kid had never thought of anyone sexually before now. But all he wanted to do was be with Soul.

'Only time can tell,' Kid thought, standing up. He had to pull himself together and hope the awkwardness would go away before their next lesson. 'This doesn't make me gay,' he repeated in his head as he walked.

He opened up the door to his wing of the mansion and saw Liz and Patti lazing around, painting their finger nails, and examining their complexions.

"Hey, look, Liz! Kid's back! Hi, Kid, where'd you go? Did you miss us?" It was just like Patti to bombard him with her overzealous questions.

Liz looked up, "Hey, Kid. You okay?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Make sure to be ready for the academy tomorrow. And don't mess up the symmetry of the room," he walked into his room and closed the doors.

"Kid..." he heard Liz say quietly, sounding concerned. But she didn't know how his heart was fluttering right now. How much he wanted to see Soul again. He was okay, because that punk in the hall who had called him that name was nobody to him. Soul, his best friend, cared about him, and so did all his other friends. Maybe life wasn't getting to be so bad after all.

How could his mood have changed so drastically overnight? Liz dragged Kid by his collar though the door, while Patti laughed and shouted.

"Kid! You're already late. Pick up your feet and move, damn it!" Liz growled.

"Already late, you say? Well, how about we just forget about school today then? Wouldn't want to intrude in class. Besides, I think I forgot to pull one side of my bed sheets the same length as the other, I really have to go fix that. Let go of me, Liz!" Kid argued to no avail.

"KID, pick up your damn feet and move before I make you regret it!" Patti shouted frighteningly. Kid picked himself up immediately and hurried along with the sisters, as they jogged to the academy. Patti could scare him incredibly when she wanted to.

They hurried through the streets of Death City and up the stairs of the school. Fortunately, they weren't late yet, since they had practically run there.

They rushed into Stein's class and sat in the back, next to Ox Ford, although he was not one of the most fun people to be around. Maybe Kid would be able to focus in the back without worrying about what Soul was thinking. He leaned over the desk and looked down to see Soul sitting next to Black Star and Tsubaki. Maka was sitting to the other side of Tsubaki. She and Soul must have had a spat because those two were always right next to each other. Best friends... Or closer? Kid frowned and let his head sink onto the desk. Did Soul really like Maka in that way? He had never seen him look at her the way he had looked at Kid yesterday. Or was that just out of shock? "Gah," he muttered frustrated. He would never be able to focus like this.

It was five minutes after the bell rang that Professor Stein wheeled in on his custom-made chair. His face looked somewhat distraught today. There was something in it that was different than his usual concentrated frown.

"Hello, kids. Let's start by talking about the dissection we are going to perform. Please take notes," Stein began reading from a list, lacking his usual vigor, "You will each need your scalpels, forceps, needles..." he trailed off, before flashing his glasses upwards. Kid could feel the professor staring right at him, "Ah-hem, Kid, would you mind finishing this lab please? Maka, I'd like a word."

'I knew I should've stayed home from school today,' Kid thought, aggravated. Now he would have to face Maka and Soul. Oh _crap._ He forced himself to walk forward in front of everyone, but didn't lose that air of self-assurance he had.

He took the paper off of Stein's desk and continued reading, although he was sure nobody was listening. Normally, this class was far more entertaining than this.

"Scissors, and probes. Step one of Cat Dissection Lab, cut a hole in the bag, remove the cat tail in the sink," this was disgusting, Kid mused. Who would actually want to do this? Stein was such a strange man. Kid continued to read off the directions, but wondered what Maka and Stein could be talking about outside.

After a few minutes, Stein walked back in to class with Maka in tow, he excused the class to go outside and practice, looking bored as ever. He was acting exceptionally strange today, that was for sure. He would never pass up dissection for watching amateurs fight. Kid was at a loss for a moment, not knowing which way to go.

He didn't want to see Soul right now, though, so he rushed off through the doors as everyone was filing out and hurried down to the hospital wing to see Crona. She would be in the ward for girls; hopefully they'd let him in. He reached his destination and pulled the door open. Crona lay on the bed. Ragnarok had taken ill and wasn't appearing lately. This disease he had was draining Crona and that showed clearly across her pale features.

"Hey, Crona," Kid said gently. Her eyes flittered and she looked over at him.

"Oh, hi, Kid. I didn't know you were coming to visit," he smiled back at her. She looked lonely like this.

"Yeah, well I hadn't seen you in a while. How are you holding up?" he asked.

Crona had grown less nervous and frightened while she had been at the DWMA, but that did not mean she was completely changed by any means. She was still shy, anxious Crona, "I- I'm okay. Thanks, Kid. Have you seen Maka lately?" She asked in that genuinely caring voice she had.

"Uh, yeah. I think they just went out to practice," he saw Crona's face fall slightly, "But Maka told me she was planning on surprising you. I wasn't supposed to tell you though. Can you keep that a secret?"

She smiled and nodded gently. He sat down in the chair next to her, "You okay, Kid?" people kept asking him that. Did he seem particularly upset?

"I'll be fine, Crona. You only need to worry about yourself."

"And Ragnarok," she added quietly. He smiled and nodded. Crona was so selfless.

Well, now he would have to face Maka and Soul. He would try to be as selfless as Crona for once. If Soul had to face Maka after that, he should be able to talk to Soul.

"Kid?" he looked up, "If you need to talk about it... You can, with me, that is," she said awkwardly.

"It's nothing. It's just Soul, you know," his sentence was slow and drawn out.

Her black eyes looked up at him understandingly, "You care about him a lot, huh. It's okay, Kid," she stuttered through her words, but less than usual.

He hardly realized it, but his hands were shaking. Crona could see how much he cared about Soul. Did he really feel so much for him? All he wanted to do was see him. He could have cried right then.

"How'd you get to be so smart Crona?" she smiled sheepishly, "I just need to sort out my thoughts, I suppose."

"Maybe- maybe you should talk to him about it?" she offered.

There's an idea, he mused. But it was better that that didn't happen. If he told Soul how he felt, he might reject Kid. And Kid didn't know if he could deal with that. He sighed loudly, "We'll see what happens. Thank you, Crona," He said her name earnestly. She was a good friend. He wished he could be better to her.


	3. Chapter 3 - Closed Doors

**Chapter 3 - Closed Doors**

~Soul~

Maka hadn't been exactly 'furious' yesterday. Maybe flustered was the right word. Walking in on two of her best friends on top of each other is probably not the best experience in the world. She had left the room after Kid had dashed out and opened the fridge door. She stood there for about five minutes, just staring at the cold contents. Soul had laughed and asked her what the hell she was looking for.

He explained to her what happened, nothing more than a mere slip up. He was being stupid and tossed the plate in the air. If it weren't for Kid, it would have broken on his skull. It just so happened they ended up in a more-than-awkward position.

He had not, however, mentioned to her how they had laid like that for a minute, just staring into each others' eyes. He remembered how mesmerizing those yellow eyes had been. He had never seen the black rims on them so close up. He wondered how he could have eyes like that, but look who was talking - the guy with crimson irises.

He hadn't gotten up because he was flustered. Kid had just sat there like a rag doll. Kid was as innocent as a doll too, he thought. He hadn't meant to add to the awkwardness by licking his lips. That had just been stupid on his part.

Maka wasn't mad, but she seemed a bit put-off by what had happened. She believed him; she could tell he was being truthful. They were best friends after all, and she knew he wasn't into dudes.

Well after that, it hadn't helped when Kid had purposely avoided them during class. It made it awkward, and Soul was planning on acting like nothing had happened. He had talked to Kid about what that boy in the hallway had said to him, but this was something he wouldn't be able to talk to him about. It was just too uncomfortable.

They had gone out to "practice" after class and that's how the two ended up sitting on a ledge outside of the school. Well, Soul was at least, Maka was actually wanting to practice.

"Come on, Soul," she pleaded in that winy voice she could have sometimes.

He looked back at her, "Well?"

"Well what? Soul, we need to practice," she began.

"_Well_, what did Stein say to you?" he asked incredulously. For the girl who scored highest in her class she sure could be a dumb ass sometimes.

"Oh," she said, sitting down on the ledge next to Soul, "he wanted to talk to me about Dad," Soul waited for her to continue, "he was really concerned. He said that he would do whatever need be to find him. He told me not to worry."

"So he's worried about the perv," Soul mused, placing his chin on his cupped hand, "he was so off in class, you know. I was wondering what was going on. Least it got us out of a cat dissection," he added, sticking his tongue out in disgust.

Maka nodded, "I guess they're better friends than he lets on. Professor Stein is quite a guy," they both sat quietly, lost in their own thoughts.

"Well, c'mon Soul, are you ready to practice Genie Hunter?"

"Maka, when he said practice, he meant that we had the rest of the day off. Stop working so damn hard. Just relax for once."

She pushed him hard so that he almost fell off. Irked, he stood up and transformed into scythe form. 'Push me off a ledge,' he thought, 'that'll win me over.' It had worked though, even if he didn't want to admit it.

"Let's go Soul Resonance!" Maka shouted. She pulled back the scythe and focused all her energy on connecting her soul with his. They had gotten very good at this recently, "Genie Hunter," she yelled. She concentrated on her power, on what the scythe would look like, on her position and her attack. She could feel the scythe changing shape, growing, and the she stepped forward and hit the scythe into the air. There was a gash in the ground. It had hit. It was very strong, she could tell that immediately. But it hadn't been Genie Hunter.

Maka sunk down, frustrated. Soul transformed back into human form. They both panted feverishly on the ground. It didn't make sense why they were still having so much trouble with Genie Hunter, but Soul couldn't help but feel this was mainly his fault. Well this definitely wasn't going as planned.

They were busy catching their breath and didn't hear the sound of shoes running against pavement until the dark figure appeared behind them.

"Maka," Kid breathed heavily, but not as much as the other two, "I just went and visited Crona. She's looking really sick and I think we should all go to talk to her," he paused, "but especially you."

Soul purposely didn't make eye contact with Kid. He was really the last person that Soul wanted to see.

Maka made a sort of gasping, groaning noise, "Poor Crona! I haven't been to see her in ages. Oh crap," Soul could see that she was feeling guilty now and that they would have to go visit her. Soul couldn't help but break a smile when he remembered how they had met Crona the first time. She'd slashed him across his chest, bent on killing him. It was so strange how life worked sometimes.

"Well," Soul said, standing up, "now we've got to go, right?" he held out a hand for Maka to stand up with. She grabbed his arm and he pulled her up. She nodded to him and the three began to walk off. Soul had almost completely forgotten about the awkward tension between himself and Kid.

"Hey, where do you losers think you're going?" there was no mistaking Black Star's distinctive voice. He jumped down from a tree he happened to be sitting in. Tsubaki stepped back from behind the trunk.

"What the hell?" Soul grumbled, "Have you been there the whole time?"

"I am an assassin, I will never tell and you will never know! I am Black Star, the impressive, mighty-"

"We just got there. He was jumping through trees," Tsubaki said, smiling innocently, ruining Black Star's perfect act, "but if you are going to check up on Crona, we'd like to come with."

Maka grinned widely, "We'd love that."

Soul knew that Maka would want as many people to see Crona as possible. She wanted her to know how much she meant to them all, because Crona had a hard time believing that she was important.

The five made their way through the huge doorways to the school once again that day, "Where are Liz and Patti?" Maka asked Kid.

"Hm? Oh, they went back home for the day," Soul saw that Kid looked a bit surprised by the question. He must not know where those two were at all. Kid turned his head to look at Maka, and accidentally met Soul's eyes. They both looked away quickly, embarrassed. Damn, Soul thought, this wasn't cool; not cool at all.

They kept walking down the hallway, Maka interrogated Kid about Crona's condition. Kid informed them that she hadn't looked well, was very pale, and that Ragnarok had not appeared once. Maka fretted loudly about her condition. Soul was worried as well, even though he didn't show it as much. His lips curled into a tight frown.

They walked through the school, all five together just like yesterday. What a coincidence, Soul thought, almost smiling.

They reached the hospital wing and Maka swung the door open widely. Crona looked up from her bed and her eyes widened, a grin spread across her face. Kid wondered if he had ever seen her this happy before.

Maka lunged forward and tackle-hugged her. Everyone else filed in and stood around her bed.

"Hey, Crona," Soul greeted. The others chimed in as well.

"A big guy like me came all this way just to say hi; you're bound to start feeling better in my amazing presence," was there a situation where Black Star wouldn't make it about himself? Soul shook his head and laughed.

Crona chatted with the others for a while, Soul chirped in every so often to make a joke, or tell her that he hoped she felt better, but he couldn't help noticeingKid.

Kid kept glancing over at Soul, looking at him curiously with those benign eyes of his. When he didn't think Soul was looking, he would stare at him for minutes at a time. Soul began to feel uncomfortable. He couldn't understand why Kid was looking at him so much. He must be worried, and wondering if Soul was going to talk to him. But Soul wouldn't, especially anywhere near the rest of his friends.

"Maka, can I talk to you alone for a minute?" Crona asked, blushing slightly. It was strange for Crona to request something like that, but everyone agreed and said goodbye to Crona before leaving. Soul could see that her spirits had been greatly improved.

"Hey," Soul said stopping at the door, and looking back, "We'll be back again," he told her. Crona beamed and waved awkwardly. Come to think of it, there was no better word to describe Crona's actions besides 'awkward'. She seemed so uncomfortable in her own skin, like she had been stuck in some body that she didn't fit into.

Soul walked out the door and was about to follow Black Star and Tsubaki when he felt a hand on his back. Oh shit, was all he could think. This was not what he had been looking forward to.

"Soul," Kid said quietly, "I just wanted to say sorry about yesterday and-"

"Kid? Soul?" Tsubaki called out to them, "Are you coming?"

Oh thank God, Soul sighed to himself; she had saved him, "Yeah, we're coming!" he shouted back, "C'mon, Kid, let's go. I was thinking," he said to the others when they had caught up, "how about a game of basketball?"

It had been a while since they had played basketball together, and he wasn't sure how well it would go with four people, but it was always fun when they did play together.

"Sounds like I'd kick all your asses!" Black Star announced excitedly. Tsubaki nodded to Soul, looking pleased with the idea.

"Alright," Soul said, with his wolfish grin, "two teams. And the stakes are..."

He was cut off by a door on their right side of the hall opening. A tall, tired-looking man stood in the door way, no other than Professor Stein. He looked at them for a second, his glasses shining and reflecting the light.

"Hello, kids," he said monotonously, "I was looking for some help to get the cats ready for tomorrow's class."

Soul's stomach lurched. Unbeknownst to Stein, most people preferred not to pull apart their pets. He waved at Stein and said quickly, "Sorry, but we really have to go practice some more," and with that the four took off, tearing down the halls.

"Wait, I need," they heard Stein shout after them, but none of them stopped. They ran all the way down to the court like little kids, and stood there catching their breath for a minute.

"Okay!" Black Star said, "We better do this quick because he'll be trying to catch up with us." Soul picked up the basketball from the side of the court.

"The stakes?" Soul asked.

Black Star thought for a second, "If you and Kid lose, Soul has to... shave his head." Soul looked slightly distraught by these, grasping his white mane.

"Wait what?" he protested.

"And if you and Tsubaki lose," Kid interrupted, "then you have to get pants-ed in front of the DWMA," Soul laughed uproariously. He couldn't imagine that; finally Black Star would be humbled in front of the entire academy.

"Fair enough," Black Star agreed. They backed onto their two sides of the court, and Black Star began dribbling, but they were stopped almost immediately, by the appearance of professor Stein on one side of the court.

"You aren't getting away that easily," he told them sounding bemused.

"Run," Black Star shouted. They all did so as quickly as possible, running out the opposite side of the court. Soul tripped and fell on his hands. They burned a little bit, but he didn't let that stop him. He picked himself up and kept running. He spotted a pair of doors that led into the academy. Soul ducked inside and ran down the hall.

He was caught off guard by a door opening and and arm grabbing him by the shirt and pulling him inside.

"What the hell?" Soul muttered.

"Shh," said a voice sharply. It sounded exactly like... Kid. They sat there for a minute, tense, not saying anything.

Soul leaned to the door, "Do you hear that?" it was the sound of feet jogging against the marble floor. It had to be Stein.

That's when Soul realized the exact position he was in. He legs were out in front of him, but he was pressed tightly against Kid, who was sitting the opposite way on his right side. He was glad for the darkness; Kid couldn't see him blushing.

His heart was pounding quickly. He felt even closer to Kid than he had been yesterday. Why did they have to hide in such a small closet? He wanted to wriggle away, but at the same time he felt so comfortable right next to Kid like this.

"I'm sorry," Kid murmured. His voice was so sweet, and he sounded genuinely regretful.

"About what?" Soul asked, trying to make out his face in the darkness. He could see his shape and where his head was. He was less than a foot away from Soul's face.

There was a pause. Soul could hear Kid's breathing through the dark, "About avoiding you."

That surprised Soul a bit. He had not expected Kid to say that, rather something about falling on him. But it had been an accident, so he didn't need to apologize. This was one smart kid, he thought.

"It's- it's fine, Kid," he saw something move in the dark towards him and felt a hand rest on his head. His heart was beating faster than ever now. Kid ran his fingers through Soul's wild white hair. His fingers passed smoothly through. He could see that Kid was getting closer to him.

Soul leaned forward slowly. He had never been so nervous in his life. Then Kid was right there, and their lips touched. It was slow at first, then Soul opened his mouth slightly and they were locked together, in a passionate, strong kiss. He had his eyes closed and wrapped his arms around Kid's back. They were pressed into each other, Kid explored Soul's mouth with his tongue.

They were entranced, feeling each other, kissing passionately. They didn't hear the footsteps, didn't realize that someone was standing outside of the door, not until it was too late. The door swung open.

"Got you-" Stein's figure obscured the outside light, filling the door frame. His face dropped almost immediately from a friendly smile to a look of shock.

Kid and Soul wrenched apart from each other. Kid stood up in a flash, but banged his head against one of the racks.

"P-professor-" his face was completely red and he looked like he was about to burst out in tears.

Soul didn't know how Stein would react. All he wanted to do was melt in with the background and disappear. Stein held out his end as if to say 'stop,' then he said in a matter-of-fact way, "I saw nothing," before turning around and walking away.

Soul buried his face in his hands. He had never been so embarrassed before, "Soul," he heard Kid whisper.

"Just go," Soul demanded. He didn't mean to sound so angry and forceful, but that was how it came out. Kid's face drained to a ghostly white and he walked away quickly, looking ashamed.

Crap, Soul hadn't meant to make him feel like that. Everything that had happened here was an accident. Soul could have hit himself. What. The. Hell? He had kissed Kid. And that had been his first kiss. He was such an idiot.

Had he liked it though?

~Stein~

Well, that had definitely not been one of the most comfortable moments in Stein's life. It was actually one of those things he wished had _not_ happened. He couldn't help but feel a wave of rare sympathy for the two. He hadn't really imagined something like that. It had always seemed that Soul was destined for Maka, although pretty much everyone had wondered about Kid's sexuality.

He bit his lip nervously. He wished he could have come up with something better to say than act like nothing had happened. They probably were nervous, frightened, and embarrassed now. But there was no going back. He'd rather pretend like he hadn't seen anyways. It wasn't any of his business.

Note to self, don't go looking in closets for hiding children, Stein thought. He snorted at the irony of the two boys making out in a _closet_. Could have been worse. Could have been Maka and someone and then he'd have to tell Spirit.

Spirit. Where had he gone? This had been all that had been on his mind for the past few days. He had been so preoccupied in class he couldn't even deal with the dissection. That had been stupid of him. He had let everyone leave, but it didn't matter. Spirit mattered much more than a class of kids studying. He had gone back to his house after that and checked for any clues. There wasn't much he could do though. They were all still waiting with bated breath.

Stein kept walking and, without realizing it, he had left the school and was heading back to his lab, or house as some people called it. But he preferred to spend all his waking hours studying. Stein was a unique man in that way.

He pulled open the doors to his lab and walked inside the living room. Marie was sitting on the couch watching the little TV she had bought. Her face lit up when he entered the room, like she had been waiting for him. Like a puppy, he thought.

He was a bit sick of her, but they were good friends, and friends always ended up getting sick of each other. He knew that she was interested in him. The way she hugged him and held him. She would stay up and wait for him. It was a little annoying sometimes.

He had always considered himself asexual. He had not had an interest in sex or anybody for a long time. He had become an adult without ever dating anyone. He had never wanted to. But then one person changed that. One person, who was now missing.

~Kid~

"Ki-i-id," Patti called, poking his cheek playfully. She didn't realize the state he was in.

"Snap out of it, Kid. What's wrong? Symmetry off?" Liz asked, putting her hands on her hips. They may have their souls in sync, but he was glad they couldn't read his mind. He waved them away.

"I'm fine," obvious lie. He was lying on the floor, with his face buried in the rug and hadn't moved for twenty minutes; at least he was talking now.

He felt him being scooped into Liz's grasp and being pulled into her arms, wedding couple style. He felt like a little kid in her arms. He sighed and let her carry him to his room. She lay him under the covers, and looked at him concerned. She was like a loving mother to him sometimes.

Then she was gone, and he was all alone again. He closed his eyes tightly. He should be happy right now. He should be ecstatic. Finally, he had gotten to be so close with Soul.

But he was so upset about Stein seeing them. Why should he be? So, he was gay. It's not like everyone didn't know already. He had been the only one who was oblivious to the fact anyways. But Soul had looked so distraught before.

Kid picked at his skin nervously. This wasn't good at all. He knew that he would just get increasingly more worried. He had to talk to Soul. He slipped further into his bed. He would talk to him tomorrow. It would be optimal to sleep now. Soul could wait. He was probably freaking out on his own anyways.

First class of the day, Kid thought as he pushed open the double doors to the classroom. His hands were sweaty and his heart beating faster than usual. But he was excited too. He was sure Stein wouldn't say anything, and that he wouldn't make the situation more embarrassing than it already was. Stein was already a very awkward man, but he did know how to handle certain social situations.

Kid saw that Black Star and Tsubaki were already sitting down side by side. He settled next to Black Star, even though he would have preferred not to. He had gotten used to Black Star, but he would never be able to have a conversation with Soul if Black Star was right next to him, poking his big head in.

The next few minutes passed by painfully slowly. Each second bore into Kid's skull. Why was it going by so damn slowly? Where was Soul?

Kid cocked his head to the side. So that was it, wasn't it. He cared about Soul. As more than a friend. And he was okay with that. This boy meant more to him than he could have ever imagined and who would have thought his feelings would intensify so quickly in just a few days. He tapped his fingers lightly on the wooden desk that wrapped around the chairs, busy with his thoughts.

Then the doors opened and Maka walked in with Soul. Kid's heart skipped a beat, his eyes brightened, and he couldn't help but let a wide grin spread across his face. And then everything dropped in a second. All his enthusiasm and happiness. Because Soul was there. Next to Maka. Holding hands.

There was a look of utter crestfallenness on Kid's face. His eyes looked at Soul with a pure, pained hurt. Soul met his eyes once as he sat down on the chair next to him. Then he averted his gaze immediately.

There was no mistaking it. Maka and Soul were _a couple. _How could he have done this to Kid?

* * *

**Thanks for reading. Constructive criticism is appreciated, but please, no flames. I know the closet scene was a bit of a cliché, hope you don't mind. **


	4. Chapter 4 - Rooftops

**It's hard writing a chapter a day, but I hope you like it! I won't be able to write so frequently when my school starts up again.**

**None of the characters in here are OCs. They were characters in the anime, btw. I have something against OCs, I guess.**

* * *

**Chapter 4 - Rooftops **

~Soul~

Maka's hand was sweaty and uncomfortable to hold. Maka was a good friend to him though, so he kept clenching her hand. Besides, she had never looked happier than she did in this moment.

After everything they had gone through, this was the least he could do for her. He owed it to her. Besides, it's not like she wasn't doing him a big favor.

After Stein had seen them together yesterday, Soul let Kid leave. It had killed him a little bit inside, but he had to let him go. He didn't know what was going on in that Shinigami kid's head, but he knew what he had to do.

Afterwards he had gone straight back to the hospital wing, running the whole way there. Unfortunately he had ended up barging in on Maka and Crona... _kissing. _

Well, turned out they were in a similar boat. Soul prided himself on reacting a little more cooly than Maka had when she saw Kid lying on top of him. Nope, he had just shut the door as fast as possible and jammed it on his foot.

After managing to remove his foot from the doorway, he closed it and slumped down against a wall. It seems they were all keeping secrets from each other nowadays. He smiled a little bit. After the initial shock, it was actually kind of funny. Maka and Crona? Crona has tried to gut him like a fish once.

Maka walked out of the room, her face red, and it looked like she had been crying. He stood up and brushed the tears away from under her cheeks, "There, there," he consoled, "there's no need for that."

She smiled at him through the tears. He hugged her closely. He could never have asked for a better best friend.

"Soul," she said, "I just- I just don't want Dad to find out."

He nodded and they both slumped together on the floor, and she told him about how she and Crona had ended up together like this. She really cared about Crona, she just didn't realize how much until she thought that she might not ever see her again, during the battle against Asura. After that, she had decided to tell Crona how much she really meant to her, and Crona had readily accepted.

So why were they holding hands together now? Oh yeah, Spirit. For some reason, Maka was stuck on Spirit never finding out, and they had wandered onto the topic of beards. Soul hadn't been able to admit to her what had happened in the closet. But he knew that he didn't want anybody else finding out. He had never felt sicker than when Stein opened up that door. So, he agreed to be Maka's beard. She hugged him and thanked him, then went back inside to talk it over with Crona.

Who would have thought... He grinned to himself. They weren't such a bad couple, he laughed. Then paused.

This was going to kill Kid. He knew that he should have talked to him about what had happened and how he felt, before walking into class with Maka on his arm, but there hadn't been any time.

And, to be perfectly honest, he had liked kissing Kid. He blushed slightly at the thought. Kid was easy to kiss and he smelled nice, like some sort of men's cologne. Soul didn't know anything about cologne, but Kid had smelled a little like lemons. He remembered how he had touched his hair so sweetly. He wanted to be with him again like that.

So he walked into class, not realizing the grave mistake he had made by not talking to Kid first. He had been so dead set on sitting next to Kid again, that he didn't see his face until he sat down right next to him. Soul could see in his eyes the pain Kid was experiencing. It looked like the person he loved had betrayed him. Oh, maybe that was how it appeared to Kid.

Soul bit his lip nervously. He couldn't look at him, knowing that he had caused that hurt. He let go of Maka's hand and looked straight forward, holding very still. He could see in his peripherals that Kid was still looking at him. He sighed inwardly and turned to speak with Kid.

"Look, it's not what you think. Let's talk about it after-" Soul began quietly.

"Alright, let's get started," a voice announced loudly front he front of the classroom. Both Kid and Soul snapped around to look at the source of it. A tall, lumbering blue zombie stood at the front of the classroom, "Franken, I mean, Professor Stein won't be here today, and I don't know much about science so how about an interactive lesson today? You will be put in teams with other random students and learn to use Soul Resonance with them. Ready?"

Sid began pointing to people at random and pairing them together. Soul was put with Kim Diehl and her weapon Jacqueline O. Lantern Dupré. Kim had bubblegum pink hair and Jacqueline had long, chocolate-like hair. He had fought with them once before, and he knew that they were both very skilled.

He looked around the room and saw that Kid had been paired with Killik Lunge and his weapons, Pot of Fire and Pot of Thunder.

This was a difficult lesson that Sid had assigned. Connecting one's wavelengths with somebody one hardly knew wasn't that simple. He figured that his distraction wasn't going to help much with the situation either.

"Hey, Soul," said Kim said. She looked serious.

"Hi," he returned the greeting.

"So," Jacqueline whispered, leaning onto his shoulder, "You're going out with Maka now? Since when? How far have you gone? I mean, you _are_ living together," she winked at the last part.

Soul was take aback by their bluntness, "Wha- we haven't done anything. I mean-"

"Oh, so it's that kind of relationship," said Jacqueline, twisting her face in disappointment, "How dull."

Her awful personality isn't going to make syncing their wavelengths any easier, he thought, irked. Where was Maka? he looked around. She was still sitting at the desk even though they had all gone to the lowest floor of the room. It looked like Sid was done pairing everyone now as well.

"Maka!" he called. She looked up, pulled out of her stupor. She jumped down and scurried over to him.

She murmured her apologies quietly to him. He waved it off, "Ready?" he asked her.

She nodded with a determined look, "Ready."

Soul transformed into a scythe falling into Maka's hands. Jacqueline and Kim nodded, and Jacqueline became a lantern that Kim could hold in one hand. All traces of feminine curiosity disappeared. They were together, ready to be locked in battle, now partners.

"Let's go, Soul Resonance!" said Maka and Kim simultaneously.

Although Soul couldn't see it, he knew that some sort of bubble was appearing around them. It reflected their souls. He began to focus in on his own soul and Maka's. He aligned them in his mind and imagine reaching out to Kim and Jacqueline. He thought of a blue bubble appearing, half of it wrapped with three distinct white lines, just like Kid's.

"Dammit!" he heard someone shout, and opened his eyes. Maka had dropped him. The mission had failed.

"Soul," she looked at him, "Are you not focusing? Please do this, for me," she told the scythe earnestly. Crap, he thought. That was his fault. That wouldn't help him get Jacqueline off his back at all. Okay, he thought. Focus.

They tried once more, Maka and Kim shouting, "Let's go, Soul Resonance!" He put all his might into it this time, focusing all his energy. Their soul wavelengths connected; he could feel it. They had become one in the fight.

Then they disconnected. It was energy-draining and seeing as they had completed the assignment at hand, they didn't need to be connected anymore. Soul returned to human form.

They were on the bottom floor of the class, but something was oddly different. Everyone had gone silent. The silence clung in the air and hung over them. Nervously, Soul turned around and looked for Sid. He was standing a few feet behind Soul and all the other groups were staring at them.

"What?" Soul asked, slightly annoyed that nobody was saying anything, but overwhelmingly worried that something had gone wrong.

"We saw it," said one of the weapons in the class.

Soul looked up at her, confused. Saw what?

"That was one of the most powerful Soul Resonances I have ever seen," Sid told them, shocked, "It was so strong, that even those who couldn't see souls could practically see the circles."

Soul glanced at Maka. She looked very surprised, almost as much as he was.

"What's that mean though?" Kim asked.

"It means," Sid said, "you have found a permanent partnership."

~Kid~

Out of all the assholes in the world, why did he have to fall in love with this one? That was one question Kid could not stop asking himself. He had been on the verge of tears ever since Soul had walked into class, and hadn't been able to resonate his and his weapons' souls with their partners'. It had been embarrassing. Wasn't he supposed to be the strongest meister on campus?

Then those two huge bubbles had appeared around Maka and Kim. It had been breath-taking. He was jealous. But not of Soul and Maka's capabilities. Of Kim and Jacqueline for being his partners.

But permanent partnership? Was that possible? He thought that they already had a "permanent" partnership with Maka and Black Star as meisters. Why was this happening?

Kid bit his lip and told Killik, "Excuse me, but I have to go throw up now," in the most professional manner possible. He left the room before anyone could notice besides Patti and Liz, but he motioned for them to stay.

In the hall, Kid looked both ways. Left to see Crona, who was always willing to help him and make him feel better; right to go home and drown in his own misery.

Right, of course. Self-destructive behavior only, Kid told himself sarcastically. He rushed down the halls, through the front gates, and reached the streets. Home. home was the only place he could feel better right now. Go straight home. So he ran there, tears falling from his eyes as he went. He didn't care about the strange looks he was getting, he didn't care when he tripped, fell, and scraped his hands and chin. He stood back up and ran, like a little boy. He reached Gallows Mansion, ran inside, and went straight to his room. He had been an idiot too many times.

He pulled open the drawers of his dresser and found a backpack. He began throwing things in it. Nothing mattered right now besides he get as far away from Soul as possible. The backpack was small, but it would fit all his valuables. Liz and Patti- the thought occurred to him. It would be cruel to take them with him. They were finally off the streets, how could he take them back there?

He knew that it was dishonorable, but he stole some cash from his father's room. He wouldn't mind, Kid knew, he would be far too worried about him. And he probably wouldn't leave Death City anyways.

Kid found a piece of paper and took out his fountain pen, beginning to scribble on it.

_Dad,_

_Going away for a while. Will be back in a couple weeks. I took some money, I hope that you will not mind. Don't worry about me. I just need a breather. _

_Death The Kid_

He read it over twice. It was short and to the point, that was for sure. He hoped that his father wouldn't go crazy trying to look for him or send anyone after him. He could take care of himself.

He threw the backpack over his shoulder and took a long breath. "A breather" he had said was all he needed. That was a strange way to put it. He needed a lot more than that right now.

He walked through the double doors and out the gates of his house, after securing that everything inside was symmetrical. He held Beelzebub in his left hand and dropped it on the ground. It hovered there and he jumped on. This was his favorite mode of transportation.

He kicked off the ground, flying about the rooftops, not knowing exactly where he was going. He closed his eyes. Okay, where to, where to? He wondered. He had been thinking about leaving the country, but now was feeling that it was a bad idea.

Then something struck him from behind, hitting the back of his head. It hurt like hell. That's the last thing Kid remembered before falling to the ground from thirty feet in the air.

Kid slowly opened his eyes and adjusted them to the light of the room, before closing them tightly again. It was too bright, he moaned, and curled into a ball. He felt like someone had punched him in the gut.

"Look who has finally come to," said a sweet voice somewhere close to him. Kid peered into the light to see whom the voice had come from. It sounded very familiar.

He was in a small grey room, lit by random light bulbs sticking up from the walls. He was laying on a small pink sofa across from a matching chair. He reached for his stomach.

"Still in pain?" the voice asked. Kid turned to see a tall blonde figure standing above him, smiling kindly.

Kid reached for his forehead, "What the hell?" was the most intelligent he could muster.

The man laughed, "Language, Kid, language," that's when Kid realized who this was. Justin Law, the legendary teenager who had become a death scythe all on his own. Kid's eyes widened in surprise. What was he doing here? After they defeated Asura, he had headed back to Europe.

Kid sat himself up and his eyes focuses. The previous day came back to him. Or was it just a day past, "How long have I been out?" asked Kid in a business-like tone.

Justin walked over to the coffee table and picked up a cup sitting there, taking a long drink out of it before answering, "Three or four days."

Oh damn, Kid thought, rubbing the back of his head, his father had definitely seen the note and was not going to be happy. He groaned loudly.

Justin eyed him curiously, "Your father knows you are here, but so do most of the students at the DWMA."

"How far did I fall exactly?" Kid asked.

Justin tapped his chin, "Oh, three stories. Don't worry though, we can probably fix Beelzebub."

"What?" Kid demanded, becoming distraught, "Where's Beelzebub? How broken is it? How do you mean 'probably'?"

Justin walked through the double doors, to a different room. Kid waited a few minutes, annoyed that he had ignored him, before Justin appeared again, carrying a broken skateboard. Kid didn't realize exactly how upset he looked because Justin frowned and said consolingly, "Hey, don't cry. We'll fix it."

"Dear God," Kid said. He had managed to completely and utterly screw himself over. Now he had really done it. He really was ready to burst into tears.

Justin patted his head, trying to be kind. It had been two years since Kid had last seen him, and he looked the same as ever with those bright violet eyes and speakers in his ears.

"A boy kept stopping by to see you. He seemed very concerned. Not only him, though, other kids too," Justin didn't have the best social skills, Kid noted. Nor was he an expert at forming sentences. It was probably his earphones that distracted him mid-sentence.

Kid wondered if it were Soul and Maka. Kid suddenly felt the crushing need to bang his head against the coffee table and pass out for a few more days.

"What about Dad?" Kid asked, "How pissed is he?"

"Language," Justin reminded him, "Lord Death was more concerned than angry. It's better if you don't worry yourself right now however. I am going to go inform him of your condition. I guess you won't be running away again," Justin said the last part as he set Beelzebub down on the floor.

Well, he really did know how to make Kid feel even shittier than he did before. Justin told a depressed Kid that he would be back in ten minutes tops. Kid waved him away.

After Justin left, Kid let a few tears slip down his cheeks. He stood up and stretched, realizing that he was inside Professor Stein's laboratory. He walked to the heavy doors and opened them stepping outside. It was night time and the air was warm. Nobody was around this place to see him and that was a comfort.

Royally screwed, were the two words that described Kid's situation best right now. He had been caught running away. Wouldn't it look great, the next Shinigami, running away from Death City? Oh, and Soul could see just how much he had been upset. And stealing money from Lord Death was just the icing on the cake. How embarrassing, he hadn't even gotten out of the city.

"DAMMIT!" Kid yelled, letting his anger boil up and spill over. He took his fist and punched one of the pillars near him. This accomplished nothing more than making him feel like he had broken his hand, "GOD FUCKING DAMN," Kid threw out all the swear words he could think of. He felt drained, like someone had just sapped all of his happiness and energy from his body.

He sunk down to the ground and began crying harder than ever. After everything he had gone through, finally, after years, accepting his feelings for Soul, he had been rejected. It wouldn't have been so bad, if Soul hadn't kissed him first. And he hadn't been rejected for a girl. Kid didn't know how long he sat there for.

"I want... to disappear..." Kid said to himself.

"Please don't ever say that again. I don't know what I would do without you," a voice said. Kid's head lashed up. There was no mistaking it.

Soul stepped forward from the shadows and smiled sheepishly at him, "Hi, Kid," he said.

Kid's face was painted with surprise. Soul still had that cheesy, nervous smile on his face. He had come here to see him. Kid stood up, and very calmly walked to Soul.

Soul grinned even wider, opening his arms. Kid stopped, a foot away from Soul.

_Whack_.

Kid punched Soul as hard as he could in the gut. Soul doubled over, grabbing his stomach, coughing. Kid wiped the tears away from his eyes. Seeing Soul in that pain, Kid felt it too. He felt like someone had slugged him. He hated seeing Soul like that. All the anger that had washed over him was gone. He grabbed Soul in his arms and dug his face into Soul's neck, letting the tears pour down.

"S-Soul," he stuttered, desperately clinging onto him. He felt Soul hug him back, caught in each others' grasps.

"Sh, I'm sorry. It's okay, Kid. It's gonna be okay," he put his hand on the back of Kid's head where it was ultra sensitive, the exact place he had been hit.

Kid let out a sharp gasp and contorted in pain. Soul whipped his hand away in a flash, and pushed Kid away, holding him by the shoulders, "I am so sorry. I am so-"

Kid pecked his lips before he could say anything more. A deep love glittered in Soul's eyes. He took his hand and gently rubbed away the tears under Kid's eyes. He let his hand rest on Kid's cheek and smiled affectionately.

Soul took Kid by the hands and they stood up together, fingers entangling.

"The others are on their way. We were all really worried about you," Soul told him.

"I didn't mean to make you worry."

"I know."

They held hands and walked into the lab, sitting together on the petite couch. They didn't speak, because words weren't needed to express their feelings. All they needed were each others' presences.

The door swung open and people began rushing in. Maka ran in first, followed by Tsubaki, Black Star, Killik, Justin, and Marie. Maka tackled him, hugging him closely, then Tsubaki even gave him a quick hug. Marie engulfed him in her arms, and Killik and Black Star high-fived him.

Maka and Marie went on about how worried they were about him and how much they missed him. Maka told him that the second he disappeared from class they were freaking out.

"And we turned Kim and Jacqueline down," she added as a side note. Obviously she didn't know the full weight of her statement. He looked at her for a second before breaking out in an ecstatic grin.

Everyone here had been worried about him and loved him in one way or another. They were all his friends and he had made them upset, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you," he told them.

Marie was the first to respond, "We are just so glad you are alright," she gushed. Everyone buzzed around around him, chatting and telling him about their past few days. Maka was the first to notice Beelzebub.

"Oh," her eyes fell on the beat up and broken skateboard, "Kid, I'm so sorry!" she looked at him sadly, as though it had been her skateboard. Her eyes shone with sympathy.

"It's okay, Maka, Justin said that he could repair it," Justin nodded to show that he most definitely could.

They began jabbering away again, but the noise was cut sharply off, when a tall, black figure entered the room.

"Father," Kid said. The Shinigami walked up to Kid. He was shaking slightly, not knowing what his father was going to say. He expected him to pull him into a hug any second, telling him that he was sorry that Kid had been so upset and glad that he was safe. Kid smiled at him hopefully.

"We need to have a talk."

Those dreaded words. The energy was drained out of the room. Kid hung his head in scared shame. Lord Death didn't have that cheery childish voice anymore.

Kid composed himself, gaining back his confidence and nodded to his father, following him outside. He walked behind him, looking dignified until the doors closed behind him. He began picking his arm, a nervous habit he had developed.

They walked away from the lot and down the street. It was empty this late at night.

"Kid, what you did was shameful," the Shinigami said coldly.

Kid closed his eyes. That was far more painful than his fall from three stories in the air.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kid began.

"No, Death the Kid, listen," it was odd for anyone to address Kid in such a formal sense, "You can't just run away like a child anymore. One day you will be the protector of the people, and do you really think when things get to be too much, you can just walk away?"

"I know it was stupid," he wanted to say something to stop his father, it was killing him.

"You know? Then why did you do it? Not only did you drop everything on a dime, but you stole from your own father! What exactly do you think that makes people think, Kid? And on a _skateboard,"_ he laughed at the idea, but there was no amusement in the angered sound, "You almost died, Kid."

Kid looked at the ground in shame. His father had never talked to him like this before. He had never fully realized the power he would be taking on as a Shinigami after his father passed.

"Kid, do you understand me?" he nodded vigorously, hiding the tears brimming in his eyes.

His father sighed, "Then I forgive you. But please, never do it again," this time his father's voice wasn't filled with anger or hate, but genuine worry and care. He must have been scared immensely when he found out what happened or when he found that note. What Kid had done had just been selfish. He felt like hitting himself for that.

"Well then," Lord Death's voice changed back to his friendly childish manner, "go play with your friends."

Kid smiled brilliantly.

* * *

**To be continued...**

**The F-Bomb has been dropped. In honor the ball dropping for the new year, of course. **

**Thanks for the reviews. They are greatly appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Lavenders

**Chapter 5 - Lavenders **

~Kid~

"Don't be silly," his eyes glittered, reflecting the sun's rays and Kid's blushing face.

"But I really can't," Kid protested. He couldn't help but let a smile creep onto his face. He quickly tried to straighten it out again and frowned.

Soul took his index finger and wiped Kid's chin. He looked into Kid's eyes closely, focusing in on them, "Do I have something in my eye or is it just you?" he asked.

Kid swatted him playfully. Soul was way better at this flirting than he was. He felt too giddy inside to not crack up, or break a smile. He blushed constantly nowadays.

The two were sitting across from each other on a bench in the streets of Death City. It was a Saturday and most people were too busy with their own affairs to notice the two. Kid and Soul were too engrossed with each other to notice anybody else.

"Come on," Soul pleaded and whined. He looked down then flashed his eyes upwards. He looked like a broken-hearted puppy, "For me?"

Kid's heart melted, "Fine! Okay, you win," he stood up, acting angry, but Soul knew that he didn't mind.

In the weeks following Kid's attempted runaway, they had been spending as much time together as possible. Soul still hadn't managed to fess up to Maka, but he did keep her secret well. It seemed like Stein hadn't told anybody either and their relationship was as safe as possible. They went unrecognized in Death City; when Kid wasn't wearing his Shinigami-esque clothes, nobody even noticed them.

As winter approached, the days got shorter and this frustrated the couple. Soul never felt like he spent enough time with Kid. But the moments they had together were the best of Soul's life, he thought, watching Kid as he walked. Kid looked occupied trying to straighten the cuffs of his jacket to match the other.

"What're you looking at?" Kid asked, noticing Soul watching him.

"Some OCD guy going crazy," Soul responded. Kid punched him in the arm, but not hard, in a friendly way.

They walked together until they reached the woods that were close to the DWMA. The trees leaves had begun to fall off and the air was chilly. Kid wanted it to go back to summer.

"Alright, you ready?" Soul asked Kid warily.

Kid nodded. He looked focused and very serious. Soul began to transform into scythe form, going into the air and falling down in Kid's hands.

It was the first time they had ever tried it. Soul remembered how he and Black Star had attempted to fight Kid the first day they met, and what a marvelous failure it had been. Soul had slashed him directly on the top of his skull. He was grateful that Kid was significantly more graceful and caught him easily.

"Let's go, Soul Resonance!" Kid shouted. Soul could feel their wavelengths becoming in sync. He breathed slowly in and out, focusing.

There was a clang as Soul hit the ground, "Hey, what the hell?" he asked, as he returned to normal human form, rubbing the back of his head.

Kid was lying in a puddle on the ground, looking hysterical, "The symmetry! I just couldn't throw off my symmetry like that. It was garbage, asymmetrical worthless..." he continued ranting, as Soul sit down next to him. Kid looked mortified at the idea that he had even _tried _to ruin his own near perfection.

Soul was annoyed at first. He really couldn't focus for ten seconds without his OCD getting in the way. Then he broke into a toothy grin. This was so like Kid to get freaked out over nothing. He began to chuckle to himself, then broke out with laughter. He lay on his back and cracked up.

After a few minutes, he regained his composure, sitting up and still holding his stomach, "You're insane," he smiled, wiping tears of laughter away.

Kid was pouting to himself, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked annoyed that Soul would laugh about something so important, "Oh, c'mon," Soul said, touching the white streaks in Kid's otherwise jet black hair.

"Do-o-on't," Kid groaned. Finally, although he had been fighting it the whole time, Kid's face broke into a smile as well and he looked at Soul's dark red eyes.

"You're silly," Soul said, leaning forward, planting a firm kiss on Kid's lips. Suddenly, Soul shoved himself as far away from Kid as possible the next second, hearing a shuffling from somewhere nearby. Kid looked surprised and slightly hurt.

Soul stood up and called out, "Hello? Anyone there?" he asked.

There was a pause, then, "Kid? Are you there?"

Soul's head snapped around to look at kid, as if to ask, 'Who's looking for you?' Kid shrugged, confused as Soul, "I'm here," Kid replied, looking pale.

There was more shuffling and the rushing of feet and a figure moved through the dark forest and walked up to them, "Lord Death is looking for you," Sid said. He looked at the two for a second, "You really shouldn't do that you know," Soul could feel sweat running down his face. How did Sid know? Was it that obvious? "Maka wouldn't want you trying to find a new partner," he said to Soul, "Syncing your souls together..." he snorted.

Thank God, Soul thought, rubbing a hand over his forehead. Kid stood up decisively, "We just wanted to see how it would go so that when we did a group resonance it would be even stronger," he explained. It was the truth, after all, "What does my father want?"

Sid turned around and began to walk through the forest once more, heading towards the academy, "I don't know, something about training," he said in a careless tone.

Kid turned to Soul and gave him a small wave. Soul looked annoyed that their session had been interrupted, but returned the gesture, "See ya later," he told Kid. Kid nodded curtly and followed behind Sid.

Kid jogged after Sid; the large man had long strides compared to Kid's shorter legs. They walked in silence, but Sid didn't even seem to notice. Kid tripped a few times gracelessly as he hurried through the brambles. They walked about ten minutes before reaching the gates of the DWMA. They moved up the steps, through the front doors, and down hallways until they reached Lord Death's hall lined with lifeless scythes.

Reaching the platform of Lord Death's chamber, Sid greeted the Shinigami loudly, "Lord Death, I brought Kid," he told him.

"Why thank you! Please set him down," he said without turning to look away from his mirror. Kid exchanged a look with Sid as if to ask, 'Why would you be carrying me here?'

"Alright, is there anything else you'd like from me?" Sid was cordial.

"Nope, that'll be all. Bye-bye now," said the figure cloaked in black.

Sid nodded, turned around, and walked away. Kid stood up straight and walked over to his father, looking at the mirror. In it, he could see a city, with tall buildings encased in smoke and smog. Some of the buildings were practically broken in half, as if they were made of plastic, and the streets were full of people screaming.

"Father, what is this?" Kid demanded in horror.

"A memory," Lord Death said calmly, "and a possibility. How much death have you witnessed in your life, Kid?"

He looked at his father with his yellow eyes, "A lot," he told him.

"I mean human deaths. How many human souls have you seen die, Kid?" he rephrased.

Kid frowned in thought, "I haven't."

His father looked down at him seriously, "Kid, when you take on my job, you will witness more deaths than anybody should in their lifetime. You will watch as the people around you pass on. You will watch people you never knew, good people, die. It is cruel, Kid, but necessary. Do you understand the fragile balance of life and death? Without death, there is only pain. Without life, there is no death. They tug at each other, in a constant struggle, and yet are united. Like yin and yang. Without one, the other could not exist. So, death must continue, regardless of how unfair, how cruel it may seem."

Lord Death's eyes rested on the mirror, looking at the humans as they ran, and screamed, and grasped on to each other in their last dying breaths.

"People spend their lives looking for something to believe in. They look for a greater knowledge, a hope of something that they deserve. Because, what they receive, they do not deserve. No. She deserves much better."

_'She', _"Are you- are you talking about Mom?" Kid asked.

Lord Death looked down at the child Shinigami. Kid couldn't see what was behind his father's mask, but he could feel the sadness emanating from him. Kid had never met his mother before. He didn't know anything about her, besides that his father referred to her as an incredible woman.

"And life goes on."

And life goes on. He felt as though his stomach was being wrenched out. The idea of losing Soul was overpowering. How could anybody deal with the loss of a person they loved more than life? -who was the reason for their life.

"Yin and yang. So, Kid. Life is the reason for death. Without death, we are left, diseased, starving, broken, hopeless, having died on the inside. Life becomes a bottomless pit with no escape. Where future is so imminent, it becomes no longer a future, but a prison. That is why we must die. For when life is short, it is worth living."

The images of a world without death appeared to Kid. He did not believe it would be possible. The overpopulation, the pain, the suffering. It was sickening.

"And as life is the reason for dying, death becomes the reason for living. Kid, you will live a long life. Far longer than any mere human soul. You will outlive your friends. You will outlive me. But that does not give you reason to give into death. You must live, because death is the finale. Do you understand?"

"I must live, because there is no reason to die on my own. I must let death take over me, not the other way around," Kid said. Lord Death nodded.

"I am glad you understand. Now your training must begin," Kid raised an eyebrow. He had never heard of any training he had to accomplish, "But before that, I must tell you that we have been receiving clues as to the location of Spirit Albarn. When we have a location, you and Professor Stein will be sent on a mission to retrieve him. Are you prepared to do that?"

"Yes," Kid responded without missing a beat.

"Very good. Now, you will begin training after school every day with Professor Stein or Sid. You will be taught about bending your soul's wavelength."

"Is that all?" Kid asked.

Death looked at the mirror once more, "There's one more thing. When Spirit Albarn disappeared... it wasn't on his own volition. He was sent on a mission."

Kid paused and looked at his father intensely.

"The mission was to go to find a magic tool that would be necessary in Crona's revival. The only thing is... without the tool, Crona may very well die."

The room turned dark, Kid's stomach dropped to the ground. He felt as though he were about to be sick. Everything around him spun, and he watched as the world laughed at him. Was this a test? The world was mocking him. You're the next grim reaper, you must learn to deal with death. Slowly, he would lose everyone. How was this possible?

"Kid. Kid!" Lord Death said, shaking Kid's shoulders, "Crona can be saved. It's just a race against time."

"Why would you send Spirit by himself?" Kid demanded.

"We didn't. We sent him with Stein, but they were somehow separated on the way. Spirit and Stein were the only ones who would have been strong enough to retrieve this tool. Their soul wavelengths are the strongest I've ever seen."

"How long?"

"What?"

Kid looked frustrated and shouted, "How long until Crona dies!"

Lord Death answered, "She has two weeks. At most."

Kid bit his lip. He knew what they had to do.

~Stein~

He had screwed up. He had done something that he would wish he could take back for the rest of his life. He missed Stein more than he ever knew he could miss another human being. There was nothing in his life that he had regretted so thoroughly.

_"Stein, are you coming, or what?" Spirit asked, wearing his usual goofy face._

_"Is there a reason you must act like a child constantly?" Stein pondered._

_"Have some fun once in a while. It's exotic; just one club, and I swear you'll never regret it," Spirit pleaded. There would be nothing for Stein to enjoy in a scummy club with girls dressed in skimpy outfits. _

_"Spirit, don't be stupid. I found a place for us to stay at tonight."_

_"Man, let's just-"_

_"You're an idiot," Stein said, pushing up the rim of his glasses, "I swear that if you leave for that crappy club, I am leaving without you."_

_Spirit recognized an empty threat when he saw one, but he could also see that he was upsetting Stein, "I'm going to the club. I will meet you in the morning."_

_This man needs professional help, Stein thought as he looked at the messy-haired alcoholic, "I am leaving without you then."_

_"Goddamit, Stein! Can't you do something for someone else for once?" His face began to turn read with anger. He seemed like he was already drunk. _

_"How about you get off your ass for once, Spirit, and take something seriously?" Stein retorted. _

_For a solitary second, a look of pain played across Spirit's face, "You don't even know what it's like to be human, do you, Stein? You don't care about anyone and you have no feelings."_

_Those words cut deeper than he would let Spirit see, "Fine, go then. I am leaving tomorrow. Have fun in your intoxicated stupor," they had never fought like this before._

_Stein reached the small hotel/bath house sort of place he was staying at. He sat down on the bed, and thought back to the words Spirit had shouted at him. _

_'You don't even know what it's like to be human.' People often seemed to think of Stein as a supernatural, or was it subhuman? He didn't know why they alienated him. He had always felt like he fit in fine with others._

_'You don't care about anyone.' Stein had bitten his tongue. All he wanted to shout back at him was 'I care about you!'_

_He put his head in his hands, hunching over, "I care about you, Spirit. I care about you."_

Stein pushed away the memories. It was better not to think about his feelings. He found that they were a deterrent and simply distracting. It would be better if he were not afflicted with emotions at all. He wouldn't be in this mess now, if he didn't have emotions. Because, if it had been anybody else going to that club, he wouldn't have cared.

He sighed, looking at Lord Death in the brightly lit chamber, "No trace," he informed the Shinigami. Stein had been taking long breaks at a time from school search for Spirit. The object they had gone looking for was not a one man job, and he had to locate him before they could search for it again, but that was not the main reason Stein was searching so feverishly day and night for his old weapon partner.

The Shinigami tapped the chin of his mask, "Kid will be starting training soon. Are you willing to teach him?"

"Teach him? In the midst of all this?" Stein asked. He was a little insulted, but retained the monotony in his voice.

"Kid needs to start learning. You are the best person to teach him."

"We really need to get the magic tool first, don't you think?" Most people didn't have the nerve to talk to the king of death in such a manner, but Stein was not most people.

"If we don't start soon, we might be too late. Kid has a strong sense of justice, he is ready for the job," the Shinigami explained.

"But what about Crona? She could die very easily and very soon," Stein felt like Lord Death was not fulling understanding the danger in their situation.

"We can't do anything without hints," he began.

"No," Stein's voice was firm and unwavering, "We are not leaving Spirit out there to die, or worse, and we are not letting Crona slowly fade out. Do human lives mean nothing to you?" he didn't wait for Lord Death to respond, "And, you know that we have to get ahold of this magic tool as soon as possible, for risk of it falling in the wrong hands."

"We can't do anything without Spirit-"

"Well, it's going to be a hell of a lot harder to save Spirit when he's dead!" Stein spat.

Lord Death did not respond immediately. When he did, a simple nod was his answer. Stein had won, Lord Death would let him do whatever it took to bring Stein and the magic tool back.

He thanked the Shinigami and left, heading directly for his lab. Halfway through the school, he was stopped. He was walking in a rush, and hardly heard his name being called, until a hand reach out and grabbed onto his coat.

"Professor Stein," he looked down and was met by a teary-eyed Kid.

"Wha.." he murmured, surprised, "What's wrong?" He felt like a parent, soothing his child.

Kid straightened himself, "I want to help Crona," he told him.

Oh, Stein thought, so Lord Death had told Kid about the situation as well. He frowned, "Kid, I don't honestly know how much you can do."

"Listen to me," Kid breathed out, preparing himself, "I am one of the most skilled meisters at the academy. Patti, Liz, and myself have completed three star missions. I am willing to do whatever it takes to help Crona. So please, tell me what I can do."

Stein eyed Kid for a second. He could see that he genuinely wanted to help, and the words he said were earnest. It was true, after all, Kid was exceptionally skilled. Lord Death wouldn't allow it though, not now, without any formal training, "Very well. But you must keep this from your father. I will be leaving often and traveling to get an idea of where Spirit could be. I have a few ideas. It shouldn't take more than a few days to pinpoint his location now. When the time comes, you are welcome to come with me. I may or may not have the help of Sid by then."

Kid nodded, accepting his fate. He would do anything to save Crona now, "I will help you by any means."

"We have a little under two weeks," Stein explained, "First we will have to rescue Spirit. Then we can get the magic tool. We'll go from there. I could find his location any day now, so I want you to be ready to leave at any given moment, do you understand?"

"Yes," Kid said definitively.

Stein nodded slowly. He could see the determination in his eyes, "Alright. I'll warn you as soon as possible."

Kid nodded and waved quickly before walking away. Stein stood there for a second and watched as he left. He was a strange person too. So sure in his ways.

But Stein didn't have time to think about any of that. Right now, all he had time to do, was go home, and search for Spirit like there was no tomorrow. Because there might not be for him.

~Soul~

It always sucked whenever Kid had to be separated from Soul so suddenly. They had spent their last four weeks in each others' arms and enjoying their company. He couldn't be happier. He stretched out on the couch in his and Maka's apartment. She had left to go visit Crona earlier that day. She offered to let him come, but he figured that Kid would be stopping by, so he refused.

He flicked on the T.V. There was nothing on, but a few crappy animes about princesses with superpowers and some harems. He yawned and put his hands behind his head.

_Knock knock._

Soul jumped up instantaneously, hurrying to the door, and unlocking it. Kid stood there, his face was serious, and his posture uncharacteristically poor. He looked pale and unhappy. Soul drew him into a warm hug, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

Something was off; Kid hadn't moved. He wasn't reciprocating the hug. He stood very still and looked forward. He hadn't made eye-contact with Soul since he walked in the room.

"Kid," Soul asked, cocking his head and looking into Kid's yellow eyes, which were focused on the floor, "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

Kid was stiff, he didn't move. He was hardly breathing. Soul took one of Kid's hands in his own, rubbing his fingers to show that he cared. Kid pulled his hand away and looked to the left side of the room.

"Soul," Kid mustered, "Soul. It's over."

There were a hundred and a half things that Soul would have expected Kid to say to him in that moment. But that wasn't one of them. In fact, it was so out of whack, that he didn't even understand what Kid was trying to say. Or perhaps he was in denial.

"What? What's over, Kid?" Soul shoved his hands in his pockets, so that Kid couldn't see him digging his nails into his own skin.

"I'm breaking up with you," Kid's voice was cracking, and he sounded unsure. He looked more nervous than ever before.

"What are you talking about? Don't be crazy-"

"Soul, leave it!" Kid ordered. He turned on his heels and left without looking back.

Soul stood in front of the open doorway for a minute. A light wind drafted in and his hair moved with it. His fingernails were digging into the sides of his legs from inside his pockets, and his eyes had become dull. He smelled something like lavender wafting meekly in from the outside air. He didn't know how long he stood there for. He didn't know where the lavender was coming from, or how late it was. All he knew was that Kid was gone.

Suddenly, Soul grabbed his stomach and ran to the bathroom, retching. He coughed and spluttered on the floor, then stood up and washed his face, arms, and hands.

His mental state had made him physically sick. He felt like he could have curled up and died right there. Then the floodgates came. His body wrenched with sobs, and tears streaked down his face. Never had Soul felt like this in his life. It was as though Kid had died. Or perhaps, Kid had killed Soul.

He disintegrated in tears on the tile floor, never having felt a depression of this sort before. He wept for what felt like hours before he drifted off into a dreamless, yet restless, sleep.

A hand was on his arm, pulling him upwards. He was embraced in a grasp by a girl smaller than he. Maka was crying too. He felt her sobbing on his shoulder. The two stood like that for some time, before Maka whispered the words to him, "Crona is dying."

Soul grasped her tighter and the two walked out of the cramped bathroom, sitting on the couch together. Soul fell asleep once again, never wanting to wake up.

Light filtered into the room from the window glass. Soul rubbed his puffy eyes and looked around. Maka lay next to him, curled into a small ball on the other end of the sofa.

He reached out to her, shaking her slightly to wake up. She grumbled and opened her reddened eyes. They looked at each other for a second, not yet burdened by the pains the world had laid upon them. And it all came crashing back, hitting them like a hammer to a nail.

Soul touched her face gently, "Crona?" he said.

She nodded slowly. They had not spoken about the event yesterday. Maka hadn't been ready to.

"We can save her, Soul," Maka told him, "We can get a magic tool. You, Kim, Jacqueline, and I. Remember what Sid said? He said that he had never seen a Soul Resonance as strong as ours before. If we team up with them," she paused, "But Kid," she looked at him shyly.

"Screw Kid. If it will save Crona, we'll do whatever it takes," he told her. He began thinking about Kid. His heart felt numb. He couldn't feel anything, neither anger, nor hurt, nor desperation.

She looked at him, he could see how grateful she was in her eyes. She nodded exuberantly, "I don't think Lord Death or Stein would let us go, but I think that we could find out easily from Stein where the object is, and get it. Apparently, it has healing powers. Whatever it is, it can cure Ragnarok," she said excitedly.

Ragnarok was practically Crona's blood. If Ragnarok died, so would Crona. They needed to get their hands on that weapon as soon as possible.

"The thing is," she added, "They aren't going to go after it, until they save Dad, so we have to."

"Why do they have to save him first?" he didn't mean it to sound heartless, but it came out as though he couldn't care less about the fate of Maka's father.

"Stein thinks the only way to get the weapon is with Spirit. I don't know why."

Soul nodded slowly. They could really do this. The only problem would be getting Kim and Jacqueline on board. They had the power to attain a magic tool and save someone's life.

"Okay, Maka. Let's do this." Soul held out his hand, and she high-fived him. The new team was forming. Permanently.


End file.
